Anyone work on there own car/truck?

[Medic!]

It saves money. And I don't have much faith in other other mechanics.

Not to mention maintenance is a good time for me.

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[slimmer13]

I do and semi enjoy maintenance, which I consider changing oil, brakes, belts, hoses, alternators, batteries, fluids etc. Much more than that I would probably tackle if I had room in the shop, a spare vehicle, and time, but these days I don't, so I just drop it off at the shop.

 

[billdeserthills]

I don't like it but I like paying a mechanic even less
no offense to highly paid mechanics, especially those euro car techs $$$$$

 

[Joe Link]

It saves money. And I don't have much faith in other other mechanics.

Not to mention maintenance is a good time for me.

Yep! I've enjoyed keeping my FZJ80 Land Cruiser alive (currently at 248,xxx!).

 

[IronMonster]

I work on my 96 F250, I did all the front suspension and a bit of surface motor stuff earlier this year (fuel injectors, plugs & wires that sort of thing)

On my diesel trucks I do brakes and suspension stuff but don't even think about motor stuff. It goes to the shop

I dont change the oil in any of them. Its cheaper to have the diesels serviced at the dealer than it is to buy the oil and filter.
I do go through and grease everything after its been serviced though just because I don't trust them to find them all (usually they are pretty good but it seems like there is always at least one or two they miss)

I am not a mechanic and I really don't enjoy doing maintenance work, However I currently have 5 trucks and 7 trailers. If you don't at least do what you can it gets cripplingly expensive. They want like $800 to do the brakes on my F250, for half that you can just put on all new rotors and pads rather than have them turned if you do it yourself

 

[Medic!]

My old corvette doesn't have many miles on it.
But somehow it seams to go through a lot of clutches, breaks, and tires?

Oh well.
Parts are cheep. And labor is free.

 

[thorborg]

Not since my dwell meter and timing light became obsolete.

 

[Joe13]

That's what I was doing when I tore my knee up!!!

Saved $80 and lost multiple jobs plus I've become all but useless for the last month and now totally useless this this month too. Not sure it was worth it...

Still have the back brakes in the trunk that need to be installed. Not sure if I'll get around to it in time or have to figure out the cash to pay my mechanic.


Over my life time though I have saved tens of thousands of dollars fixing mine and friends vehicles.

My wife stayed up all night with me tearing an engine block apart in the back of a 76 chevy truck bed when we were 17 (needed the block stripped in order to swap it out for a new one that was arriving in the morning) - that sealed the "she's a keeper" part for me (along with everything else).

 

[clearconscience]

I try to. Mostly because I'm cheap and have no money to pay someone else to do it.
Recently I replace a failed door lock actuator, and my front shocks and struts.
Replaced my whole AC system except the compressor about a year ago. And replaced my faulty throttle body that liked to shut down on the freeway for me every couple weeks.

I don't do my own brakes or anything too involved in the engine, by I try to youtube or hit online forums to make every repair I can.

 

[Joe13]

I try to. Mostly because I'm cheap and have no money to pay someone else to do it.
Recently I replace a failed door lock actuator, and my front shocks and struts.
Replaced my whole AC system except the compressor about a year ago. And replaced my faulty throttle body that liked to shut down on the freeway for me every couple weeks.

I don't do my own brakes or anything too involved in the engine, by I try to youtube or hit online forums to make every repair I can.

If you did all that then you can do brakes!!!

Especially if its all wheel discs.

My front pads were $14 (and a knee surgery lol) and the back brake pads were $12... Saved a few hundred and the front end took me about 90 min tops.

 

[Medic!]

I work on boats to.


I'm not fast. My worn old body sets my pace.
Sometimes it takes days. Sometimes weeks.
But I get it done.

I worked on my friends 2 cycle, fuel injected, Air injected. V6.
It sucked an injector stem. And stuck it in the head.
My welder buddy fixed the head. And I cleaned up the top of the piston and stuck it all back together.

Lucky it stabbed into the head and didn't thrash around in the cylinder, and destroy his block.

Any ways that was three seasons ago and it's still running.

 

[clearconscience]

If you did all that then you can do brakes!!!

Especially if its all wheel discs.

My front pads were $14 (and a knee surgery lol) and the back brake pads were $12... Saved a few hundred and the front end took me about 90 min tops.

I know there easy, but it's a mental block. Somehow I think if someone else does them I safer.

Yeah Les Schwab wanted $900 to do my shocks and struts, I did them for less than $300 and it took a couple hours.

Same with my AC system. Quoted $650ish and I fixed it for $200 plus a recharge.

I had a friend call me one day. She got back from vacation to find a squirrel had chewed through her engine wires. Toyota wanted $1000 for a harness. I just spent about an hour taking it all apart and soldier them back together. Been about 6 years still runs.

 

[jbett98]

Best thing I did was buy a like new 9000 lb. four post lift for my shop.
It came from an RV Storage unit estate sale down the road from me and I moved it to my place on a long car hauler trailer at 5:00 am on a Sunday morning. (It's 9' wide)
Every time I drive up the ramps and push the lift button, I can't believe how nice it is to walk underneath a vehicle with unimpeded access.
Best $1,800.00 I've ever spent on myself. It even came with a 6 gallon oil drain pan/tank and special wheel struts in case I want to move it out of the way.
Changing oil is a real pleasure and no messes to deal with.
I just replaced an O2 sensor on my work van and it took more time to raise the vehicle then it took to replace the sensor.
I'm the envy of all guys in my neighborhood.

 

[Stomper]

It saves money. And I don't have much faith in other other mechanics.

Not to mention maintenance is a good time for me.

I'm a a kick-arse refrigeration mechanic (among other HVAC disciplines) and I don't enjoy working on automobiles all that much. I do however do as much work on my own vehicles as possible... when it suits me.

 

[Ura-Ki]

I never had the money to take things to a shop so I always had to fix stuff my self, in time I got pretty good, and now I usually can do just about any thing I want or need! ( No, I don't do body work, I suck at body work) I am just about finished building my Studebaker Hotrod, and am ready to start my 68 Cougar project! I also have a 58 Mercedes Benz 190 SL that I will be doing after the Cougar!

 

[Medic!]

I'm a a kick-arse refrigeration mechanic (among other HVAC disciplines) and I don't enjoy working on automobiles all that much. I do however do as much work on my own vehicles as possible... when it suits me.

I just had to fix my AC a couple of weeks ago.
Just a condenser cooling fan. I'm not set up to recharge the system.

But now I have somebody who's mind I can pick, If ever I have questions?

 

[Jamie6.5]

My old corvette doesn't have many miles on it.
But somehow it seams to go through a lot of clutches, breaks, and tires?

Oh well.
Parts are cheep. And labor is free.

That's odd, once I go a few of the cars I've owned running the way I wanted them to, I found they needed those same parts pretty regularly also.

 

[v0lcom13sn0w]

i do it professionally for GM. yes, i work on my own rigs too. except for the brand new one.

it makes it hard to WANT to work on my own vehicle when i do it all day long.

i turn down a lot of side work too BUT my parents and my inlaws all drive GM products so guess whos phone never stops ringing.

 

[Velzey]

@IronMonster whats it cost to get the oil changed with new filter at the shop / dealership or where ever you have it done?

In a diesel truck I should add.

 

[Medic!]

That's odd, once I go a few of the cars I've owned running the way I wanted them to, I found they needed those same parts pretty regularly also.

This last clutch is a 12'' Monster with a full Kevlar disc. [Bullet proof?] Good for 550 RWHP. Versus the 10-1/2'' stock.

A little bigger cam and some sticky tires is all an LS1 needs to run away from a stock clutch.
Makey much smoke!!!!

I also rebuilt the torque tube. So now It's ready for the blower.